Election Day 2022: Hudson Valley polls closed; check back for updates, results

While the Hudson Valley's Congressional Democrats are locked in close races with Republican challengers, New York's largest prize appears to have stayed blue.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is declaring victory in her bid to become the first female elected Governor in New York's history.

Most media sources, include NBC, CNN and ABC, have called the race in favor of Democrats Hochul and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, in their bid to defeat Republicans Rep. Lee Zeldin and Alison Esposito.

Hochul faced a race that became far closer in the closing weeks than pundits believed at the end of summer.

Abortion, crime and inflation, three subjects that were the focus of most candidates this election season, also helped bring many voters to the polls Tuesday.

Democrats and Republicans appear to have split a several high-profile state Senate races in the Mid Hudson Valley.

And, Ulster County elected a new county executive in former state Sen. Jen Metzger.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer was projected as winner of a fifth term representing New York when polls closed at 9 p.m. The 71-year-old Brooklyn native defeated Joe Pinion, who hosted a program on the conservative TV channel Newsmax and faced long odds in a state where Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans.

"It's deeply humbling as it is motivating," he said in a Manhattan speech following the result.

All results on Election Night are unofficial.

The midterm elections have drawn plenty of attention in the Empire State, where battles for the governor's mansion and Congressional seats garnered national interest and highlighted a competitive slate of races around the state.

Lower Hudson Valley:What to know about elections 2022

Mid Hudson Valley:What to know about elections 2022

Hudson Valley:Elections in the Hudson Valley: Five things to know before heading to the polls

Dozens of residents were lined up to vote at the City of Newburgh Activity Center just before 4 p.m.

One of those voters, John Vasquez, said he felt like democracy was on the line this election season.

“Look at what is at stake. I need to get my vote counted. Hopefully the candidate I vote for gets elected. I don't like the alternative,” he said, noting he planned to voter for Rep. Pat Ryan in the 18th Congressional race. "I was an independent for years, but I will be voting a Democratic slate.”

State Senate split in the Mid Hudson

In a race of two incumbent state senators, Michelle Hinchey, D-46, defeated Sue Serino, R-41, in the redrawn 41st Senate district. Hinchey won a second term in unofficial results, ending Serino's tenure that dates back to 2015.

Meanwhile, Republican City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison appears poised to defeat Democrat Julie Shiroishi, in the newly created 39th state Senate district.

Hinchey, the daughter of the late former Congressman Maurice Hinchey, earned 51.6% of the vote.

Hinchey described her win as having “changed the game.” She said her campaign team knocked on nearly 70,000 doors and made roughly 16,000 phone calls.

“The Hudson Valley has been the battleground. All eyes have been on us, are on us, to see who we are, what we represent, what we’ll fight for and how hard we’ll fight for it,” she said.

The state senator pointed out that even though the focus was on federal races, it is now up to the state to protect rights and fund programs necessary to bettering the lives of residents.

“It is now the state’s responsibility to defend our rights, to protect our planet, to make sure that everyone has an equal and fair shot at a better life,” she said, having championed policies on the environment, childcare, reproductive rights, mental health and lower the cost of utilities.

Gubernatorial candidates in NYC

Abortion rights a key for voters

Abortion access, multiple female voters said, was a driving force bringing them to the polls.

“Why do I want to vote today? Because I want to protect my rights. I need them for my granddaughter, my great grandchildren, and for all women. This is about women’s rights,” said City of Newburgh resident Mary Anne Dickinson. “But I am really concerned about the liberties of everyone. The (Republican) party is just putting anybody in there so they can take over Congress, and they aren’t concerned at all about a person’s ability to run, their experience or their truthfulness.”

Dickinson said she voted for Gov. Kathy Hochul, Ryan, and Democrats down the ballot.

In Cornwall, Caro Hawthorne said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade motivated her to get into the ballot box and vote for Hochul and Ryan.

“I always feel that it is important to vote, but things are seemingly more intense right now. So, I felt it was important today,” she said.

Gerald Jones, a City of Newburgh resident and reverend at Heaven Bound Church of Deliverance said he planned to vote for Hochul and Ryan because of their stances on gun control and abortion access.

“I think it is very important to vote. There is a lot going on in the world today, and we need leadership which can actually help solve some of these problems," Jones said. We have gang violence and all sorts of stuff.”

Crime, inflation of interest

Headed into Cornwall-on-Hudson Village Hall to vote, Scott Potter said his work at a security and alarm company heavily influenced his political opinions this year.

“We can’t keep up,” he said, explaining demand for alarm systems has skyrocketed over the past year-and-a-half. “We’ve got guys working six days a week, and that is a direct result of all this (crime). It’s bad. It’s really bad.”

Potter said he was turned off by Hochul’s attempts to downplay the seriousness of crime in New York.

“I will probably vote for (Rep. Lee) Zeldin, and I’ll go for (Colin) Schmitt,” he said, noting he liked the Republican's stance on gun policies.

Mackenzie Phillips, also a Cornwall resident, declined to share who he was voting for. But he said bail reform was at the top of his mind when he cast his vote.

“I don’t want to share too much, but I would say that with where we are in the world it is important to vote and take your issues to the ballot box,” he said. “Our world is in turmoil, so you have to vote.”

Democrats vote early

In Westchester County alone, 69,894 residents cast votes during the early voting period, roughly 10.5% of all registered voters in the county. Of them, more than 42,500 were registered Democrats, compared to more than 13,300 Republicans.

More than 24,000 of Rockland's roughly 220,000 voters voted early, and nearly half − 11,891 − were registered Democrats, compared to 6,935 Republicans.

In Ulster, 19,144 voters cast early ballots, 12,264 Democrats and 2,744 Republicans. That's out of a county of roughly 136,000 registered voters.

Election complaints

Officials from the Boards of Elections in the seven Mid Hudson Valley counties have all said, as of late afternoon, there have not been reports of any major issues or disturbances at any polling places; that includes the new polling place on Vassar College's Town of Poughkeepsie campus, created in adherence to the new law this year entitling campuses with a significant amount of registered voters to hold polling places.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said complaints about election fraud or voter rights concerns in the Hudson Valley can be reported to its staff at 646-369-4739.

Reports of election fraud and abuses can also be reported to the FBI at 212-384-1000.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. at 800-253-3931 or at civilrights.justice.gov/.

Local questions

More information can be found on these county board of elections sites:

• Dutchess: elections.dutchessny.gov

• Orange: orangecountygov.com/783/Board-of-Elections

• Putnam: putnamboe.com

• Rockland: rocklandgov.com/departments/board-of-elections

• Sullivan: sullivanny.us/Departments/Elections

• Ulster: elections.ulstercountyny.gov

• Westchester: citizenparticipation.westchestergov.com

Staff members Erin Nolan, Eduardo Cuevas and Matthew Spillane contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Election Day: What to know in the Hudson Valley